


The Art Of Giving (At Christmas)

by theprincessed



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Christmas, Christmas Presents, Fluff, Future Fic, Husbands, M/M, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 12:51:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13077255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: It's Christmas 2018 and Robert convinces Aaron to have some fun at one of their old haunts before giving him his real present on Christmas morning.





	The Art Of Giving (At Christmas)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miss_whimsy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_whimsy/gifts).



> Hiya! So I wasn't gonna write any Christmas fic, but I missed writing Robron, so about a month ago, I googled a Christmas word generator then asked [J](http://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_whimsy) to pick a few numbers and preferences without telling her what it was for lol. Selected words were: doll, Christmas spirit and wrapping paper.
> 
> Merry Christmas, J! I can't imagine my life without you now. <3
> 
> Hope you - and anyone else who reads this - enjoy x

Following an afternoon of last-minute paperwork for Home James before they close for Christmas, Robert makes a detour to The Woolpack to see Aaron. He'd mentioned he'd be popping in to see Chas before tomorrow's festivities and Robert immediately spots his husband sat by the bar, his pint almost finished. It's perfect timing and Chas sees him first, moving away to serve another customer to give him and her son some space. Tomorrow is their first Christmas as legal husbands and as their own little family with Liv.

Everything has slotted back into place better and stronger than ever, so he nods at his mother-in-law and reaches out to softly touch Aaron's shoulder. “I thought I'd find you skivving off in here,” he whispers lowly with a grin.

Aaron rolls his eyes but leans in to his body. “It's Christmas Eve and I'm my own boss.” He smiles at Robert's playful raised eyebrow and gestures to his empty glass. “Pint?”

“In a bit.” Robert agrees, “I wanna do something first.”

He walks around the corner of the bar and hears Aaron's footsteps behind him as they pass Chas and head into the backroom. Thankfully, when he opens the door, Charity or anybody else is nowhere to be found and Robert pulls Aaron in by his waist.

“This is what you wanted to do?”

“Always. But we should probably set the mood,” he says, as his other hand reaches into his suit jacket inside pocket to retrieve a slightly squashed sprig of mistletoe. Aaron shakes his head a little, fondly unimpressed by his husband's propensity for soppy cheesiness. “Found it on the desk. Jimmy probably thought he'd get lucky with Nicola.”

He raises it above their heads and Aaron meets him halfway. The kiss is soft and chaste and their bodies are pressed together when their lips part, including their foreheads.

“And you couldn't do that out there because...?”

Robert smirks at the obvious challenge. They've become more comfortable with certain PDA since reinforcing their marriage, but he knows Aaron wouldn't want anyone to witness what comes next and it's only fair he give it to him now, so the mistletoe falls to the floor and Robert nudges Aaron's cheek with his nose, capturing his mouth in a second kiss that starts as gentle then heats up until they're full-on snogging like teenagers.

“What about that pint?” Aaron wrenches away to ask breathlessly, Robert switching attention to his neck.

“I'd rather have you,” Robert answers, cheeky.

He kisses Aaron a little more ardently again and inwardly smiles when he feels him melt against his chest, Robert's arms holding him close as he tempts Aaron with his tongue. Slick and easy, Robert ignores the Christmas hustle and bustle of the pub beyond to grab Aaron's open hoodie for purchase, hands moving from his arse to his torso to shove him down onto the sofa. He's about to clamber over him and really get this quickie started when Aaron suddenly grimaces and squirms an arm behind his back to pull out a newborn baby doll with a bald head and terrifyingly big blue eyes.

“Baby Sheila!” Aaron exclaims in surprise then, seeing Robert's confused look, clears his throat awkwardly. “She's one of Leo's and no, I don't know why it's not 'Sheila' or where he got the name from. It's just...Baby Sheila.”

“Okay,” Robert says slowly and takes the doll from Aaron. “Before it – I mean, _she_ \- kills the mood like Charity and the shower incident...” He trails off with a proffered hand and a glance to the ceiling to silently suggest they move this upstairs.

“We don't live here anymore,”

“Exciting though, eh? Where's your Christmas spirit, Aaron?” he cajoles.

Aaron looks at him like he can't believe he's using something as pure as Christmas to get his leg over, but he could never resist Robert when he's this determined about making him feel good, so he takes Robert's hand and lets himself be led upstairs. Since they are now more solid than ever and live permanently at the Mill, Chas has turned what was Aaron's room into a spare one for a just-in-case situation, with more throws and cushions than you can shake a stick at, but Robert distracts him from being too irritated with another kiss. 

It works until Aaron steps backwards towards the bed. Robert is pleased that he's into this, but there's another part that his husband hasn't discovered yet and if he's dragged down on top of him, he might find out too soon and it makes him pull away. He rubs a hand through Aaron's hair to halt any worry and pretends to cough. He needs to get him out of the room and then be quick about it.

“Can you – erm – get me a glass of water?”

Aaron's gaze is entirely sceptical. “Alright,” he says, because he has no evidence to the contrary.

Robert expects him to go to the bathroom and is delighted when he leaves the door slightly ajar and turns right to go downstairs to sneak into the backroom instead. For once, he wouldn't mind if he gets waylaid by Chas or someone to give Robert even more time, but he undresses in a rush anyway and tosses off the throws and cushions so that there's nothing other than plain white sheets and him laying naked on his side, head propped up by his hand and a perfect smirk on his face. His stomach flips and he forces down a laugh as he hears footsteps on the stairs again and Aaron barges in. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees what's literally laid out in front of him, his grip on the glass tightening for fear of letting go out of shock and his eyes dropping to Robert's bare crotch where he's tied a big red bow around his cock.

Coming to his senses, Aaron shoulders the door closed and slides over the bolt he had put on when Robert first moved in. “You've been wearing that the whole time?”

“Yeah, it's actually quite chaffing.” He fakes a grimace then peers at Aaron through lowered lashes, like he's just thought of an idea. “Wanna take it off?”

“I should steal your clothes and leave you 'ere,” Aaron mutters, but puts the unnecessary water down on what used to be his side of the bed as Robert sits up slightly on his forearm and catches around his neck to seduce him properly. 

Being already naked, Robert makes light work of undressing Aaron until he's down to his boxers and the rest of his clothes are a heap on the floor next to his. He pulls Aaron over him and eases his hands past the waistband of his underwear to grab hungrily at his arse, moaning in encouragement as their hips brush the ribbon around his cock. He's hard enough that when Aaron wiggles fingers between them, he twitches and sighs as he tugs on one end and the bow comes apart. 

At the release of pressure, Robert flips them so that he's got Aaron in his place, right where he wants him. The playfulness has gone from his eyes to be replaced by unadulterated desire. It's the thread that has always simmered and kept them in each other's orbit, even when they thought they didn't want to be. Now they get to enjoy it again and Robert plans to make the most of it here in this moment and at home and for the rest of their lives. 

Aaron must notice him thinking because he rolls his hips up in wordless demand to bring him back to reality and Robert thanks him with a kiss to his bearded jaw, his neck and throat until he's halfway down his chest and he disappears beneath the sheets. Aaron arches into the touch of his mouth and a hand lands heavily on the crown of his head but doesn't stop him, so Robert slides lower and hooks his fingers into Aaron's boxers. He throws them outside the sheets with a flourish and hears a muffled chuckle, hiding his own smile in the warm crease of Aaron's thigh as he shoulders them apart and licks near to him at half mast. 

Robert hasn't thought this far ahead and brought lube with him, but he's content enough with getting his mouth on Aaron's dick instead when his lips ventures a little further down and Aaron gasps roughly, thrusting up. Buoyed by the reaction, Robert trails his tongue firmly across one of his balls and then the other, briefly sucking. Their combined body heat has warmed the bed and he tastes familiarly masculine, addictive. So much so that he spreads Aaron's arse and licks flat over his hole once, testing. He hears his name in a gruff voice and Robert offers his arm for Aaron to grip, squeezing harder than he would his short hair as he pushes Aaron's knees to his chest, opening him up more to his gaze and then his tongue, relaxing into the rimjob and pushing for Robert to get on with it. 

His fingers itch to sink inside him except he's at a loss for how to do it before there's a dull thud and Aaron's hand on his forearm presses hard enough to leave a mark, making Robert fleetingly chase friction on his own cock against the bed in response then come up for air, hair messy, face flushed and lips slick. He smirks when he sees Aaron's free hand on the soft headboard that's also new, but not immune to their noisy escapades, Aaron feeling too much from the skills of Robert's mouth to contain it any longer. His gaze slides from a panting Aaron as he's about to dive back under the sheets to continue wreaking havoc to the bedside cabinet. The glass of water Robert didn't actually need is still there and the drawers below it.

“What - ” Aaron starts as he feels Robert drag himself up enough that he can lie on top of Aaron like before but also reach to open the drawer.

Figuring it's easier to show rather than explain, Robert smiles as his hand lifts something, but his eyes widen as he spots a Post-It note attached. On the lube, it reads:

_IF YOU FIND THIS, YOU MUST'VE FORGOTTEN IT. TAKE IT HOME. CHAS x_

Robert doesn't realise Aaron's read it too until he groans from behind his hands, embarrassed. “Oh god, no,”

“Could've been worse,”

Aaron ignores him. “How could we forget that! And how did _my mum_ know we'd find it here,”

Their sex life has never exactly been a secret in the pub, no doubt much to Aaron's chagrin, and Robert gives him a pointed look. “Well, it's not like it's the only one we own, is it?” 

His shoulders tense and Robert decides to change tack. He balls up the note and throws that on the floor too, returning to kissing Aaron's jaw, his neck, his throat and taking the lube with him. This time, the sheets cover their legs and his arse and he's licking at Aaron's chest when he wiggles wet fingers between his cheeks. His tongue has done half the work and he wills his erection to hold on as Aaron's body draws him in to his tight heat. Aaron pulls him up with both hands to his face, knowing where his mouth once was, and Robert moans, now desperate to replace his fingers with his cock. No lube until his brainwave and definitely no condom because they aren't that lucky, he waits for Aaron's decisive nod and gets onto his knees. Aaron keeps his spread and Robert shuffles closer, guiding his cock inside slow and steady.

He pulls Aaron's right thigh above his hip with lube-sticky fingers and sighs against his neck as Aaron traps him there, crossing his ankles above Robert's arse and digging his heels in when he wants him to move. It's intense with no physical barrier and no emotional one either anymore, every emotion flickering across Aaron's face as he looks down, probably reflected a lot from his own eyes. Robert feels full of love and gratitude for this man wrapped around him and he slides his arms under Aaron's shoulders and presses him onto his cock, giving him the resistance to allow them to rut together in longer strokes.

Soon, the bed is creaking and Robert hides his delight in Aaron's sweaty bicep, biting down when he clenches around him and also squeezes a handful of his arse, urging him on. Despite the efficient care with which Robert took to open him up, Aaron feels like he's closing in on him and like his skin is stretched tight, Aaron giving as good as he's getting, like usual. He shudders when Robert finds the sweetest spot and it has Robert groaning some more, voice gone deep and his control rapidly slipping from his grasp. With everything happening so fast, Aaron nudges him level and licks the seam of Robert's slack, panting mouth. Something about the tease is incredibly dirty and he shuts his eyes as Aaron holds him by the nape of his neck and starts tugging at his dick to match Robert's pace.

“I love you,” he croaks, nose pressed to Robert's temple.

Any number of things Aaron says or does are hard-wired to his cock, but that's what tips Robert over the edge tonight. He thrusts firm and smooth and waits for Aaron to start coming before he lets go too. He collapses pretty ungainly in an instant and he knows Aaron's come is smeared onto his belly now as well, but he knows that's nothing compared to what his husband is feeling and he thrusts one more time just to be a smug dick about it, Aaron twitching and his hazy-eyed expression clearing into a scowl.

“I love you more,” Robert says softly, bumping their noses together with a grin.

“I take it back,” Aaron grumbles, “Husband's rights. Why did I let you talk to me into this?”

“Because you can never resist me?” he retorts, faux-innocent.

Aaron rolls his eyes and Robert chuckles, withdrawing and hoping they haven't made too much of a telltale mess of the sheets. As a peace offering, he finds the discarded bow to mop up the worst of the evidence, but Aaron's stare makes him give up on the idea after a few ineffectual swipes and he can tell that Aaron is not letting that thing anywhere near his arse.

Robert's kissing him slowly to prolong the afterglow when the locked door handle starts to jiggle. It makes him want to laugh and Aaron tries to quietly shush him, obviously hoping they'll give up trying to come in and go away. When the jiggling gets more insistent and Robert raises his eyebrows as if the hinges won't hold up for much longer, Aaron sighs and they agree to move from the bed, their fun at an end.

Aaron's just pulled his t-shirt on and buttoned up his jeans when Robert picks up one of the thrown cushions from the carpet to cover his crotch and saunters towards the door. Eyes alight, he's being reckless and Aaron's looking at him like he thinks he's an idiot for it and Robert's face falls when he opens the door to see Bernice and Nicola standing on the other side. Nicola's the first to recover as Robert stands frozen, her shock melting into a smirk as Bernice's hands fly to her eyes.

“Nicola!” she cries shrilly, “That's my brother!”

She rolls her eyes. “Step-brother. Besides, seen it all before haven't I, Robert?”

With nowhere to turn unless he wants to flash his arse, Robert opens his mouth twice with no idea what to say then quickly grabs another cushion from a nearby chair, glad for Chas' new interior design obsession. Bernice and Nicola part on either side of the door and he sidles awkwardly through the gap, escaping into the bathroom.

“Robert! We don't have time for this!” Aaron exclaims, exasperated.

Nicola shrugs at Bernice slowly lowering her hands. “Well, Gabby _clearly isn't_ up here anyway,” she says into the silence.

As they turn to leave, Aaron peers around the door to catch them. “She's probably – erm – with Liv at ours.”

Still flustered, Bernice nods formally and Robert waits for their footsteps to fade before he pops his head out from the bathroom, body still sandwiched between two cushions. He'll get a twisted sense of amusement from the fact that Chas will never know, as long as Nicola keeps her mouth shut (Bernice definitely will). With the coast clear, he makes his way back to their old bedroom and drops the cushions on a reflex as Aaron rolls his eyes and throws his clothes at his chest.

“Stop showing off. Come on, we need to go home. There's plenty beer in the fridge.”

“Yeah, better make sure Liv and the gang have left it still standing,” Robert nods, yanking his jeans up and untangling his wrinkled shirt from the pile. If Aaron doesn't want to give anyone any ideas what they've been doing, they can always slip out the back of the pub.

“Did you just say 'Liv and the gang'? How old are you, 50?” he snorts.

Choosing unusually not to rise to the bait, Rober smirks and steps bare-chested in front of Aaron, cupping his hips. “Now, young man, less of the attitude or you won't get your real Christmas present tomorrow.”

\---

The morning of Christmas Day dawns not with beautiful snow, but a rain shower that turns everything grey and sluices past the windows at breakneck speed. It makes Robert want to stay in bed a little longer before the madness of family takes over and he's thankful that Aaron feels the same as he slowly wakes up in Robert's arms and turns to face him with squinted eyes. His hair is extra soft and fluffy and Robert steals a gentle kiss despite the shared morning breath. The lazy smile Aaron greets him with and the hand on his bare waist under their purple sheets is worth it and he won't keep Aaron's present from him anymore.

He meant what he said yesterday. A red bow and a quickie trip down memory lane at the pub was fun and games, but it wasn't his actual gift from Robert this year. For one, Robert's not that cheap and especially not when it comes to Aaron. Although, there is one thing that's different and he tries to keep his excitement tinged with nerves at bay as he reaches into his bedside cabinet. Instead of lube, he pulls out a rectangle covered in silver and red wrapping paper and hands them to a still sleepy Aaron.

“What's this?”

“A present,” Robert grins as they sit up together and he carefully watches Aaron's face.

“Funny.”

“Just open it and find out.”

The rectangle bends slightly as Aaron moves it around between his hands and Robert bites down on his laugh as he gives the gift a curious shake, the feedback silent. Within two seconds, he goes from nothing to tearing off the paper and Robert waits on tenterhooks even as he frowns.

“You bought me a folder. Of papers. No, wait - ” he adds, before Robert can feel smug about talking him through it and he opens the clear folder to skim-read a few choice words. “You bought me a plot of land.”

“I did,” he beams. “It's local, opposite end to Butler's. For you to do whatever you want with it.”

Aaron seems to struggling for what to say, which might be a good sign on the present giving scale. Or a total disaster. “Does it come with the barn in the picture?”

Relieved, Robert laughs. “I think so.” He grabs his hand so he understands why Robert did this. “Aaron, you can hoard scrap up there if you like. Or use it as a garage, build a games arcade, it's all yours!”

Aaron nods, but it's like he's already far away, turning ideas over in his head. After a long pause, he squeezes Robert's hand and looks up at him, eyes sparkling. “Can we...keep it, as it is?”

Robert is thrown. “Sure, but I don't understand - ”

“Remember you asked me once if I thought about the future?” It feels like several lifetimes ago now, but he does. Even through a haze of whiskey, he felt some sadness for Aaron's world view back then and feels blessed that he gets to be here now and going forward. “Well, now I really am. We're married and we're getting stronger by the day and maybe this can be part of it, for when we want some peace away from the village. You might have bought it for me and thank you, really, but it could be _ours_ , Robert. When we've outgrown this place. A Sugden/Dingle...farm, eventually?”

Robert never thought he'd get to dream about Aaron and a family of their own again, complete with a bunch of animals, and the fact that he'd want to use a plot for that, to make this gift truly sentimental, makes emotion surprisingly grip his throat. Reading him instantly, Aaron strokes his elbow to soothe and catches his other wrist as Robert cups his cheek and leans in.

He pours everything unsaid into the kiss until they have to pull away because they're smiling so much. “Sounds perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


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